What needs to change in this package.json file to work with npm 0.3.0?

Question

Trying to use a lib but getting this error...

npm ERR! JSON.parse Failed to parse package.json data.
npm ERR! JSON.parse Note that package.json must be actual JSON, not
npm ERR! JSON.parse just a JavaScript object.
npm ERR! JSON.parse 
npm ERR! JSON.parse This changed in npm 0.3.0, and is not a bug in npm.
npm ERR! JSON.parse Tell the package author to fix their package.json file.

Not sure what changes are likely needed to make it valid JSON, thanks very much!

Solution 1

Valid JSON must have both keys and values of an object in quotes. Surround all of your keys in quotation marks and that should make the error go away.

Reference: JSON spec

Update: I did the dirty work for you. Let me know if this fixes it.

{ "name": "embedly"
, "version": "0.3.2"
, "description": "Embedly client library for node"
, "homepage": "https://github.com/embedly/embedly-node"
, "keywords": []
, "author":
  { "name": "Bob Corsaro"
  , "email": "[email protected]"
  , "url": "http://www.google.com/profiles/rcorsaro"
  }
, "repository":
  { "type": "git"
  , "url": "git://github.com/embedly/embedly-node"
  }
, "bugs": { "web": "http://github.com/embedly/embedly-node/issues/" }
, "directories":
  { "doc": "./docs"
  , "lib": "./lib"
  , "test": "./test"
  }
, "dependencies": {"hashish": "", "qs": ""}
, "devDependencies": {"vows": ">= 0.5.6"}
, "main": "./lib/embedly.js"
, "scripts": { "test": "vows" }
, "bin":
  { "embedly_oembed": "bin/embedly_oembed.js"
  , "embedly_objectify": "bin/embedly_objectify.js"
  , "embedly_preview": "bin/embedly_preview.js"
  }
}

Solution 2

Just to complete the answer, you can simply use an online JSON validator to validate your package.json.
I highly recommend http://jsonlint.com/, paste your package.json in the textarea and click on the Validate button, that's all!

Solution 3

Super cool way to fix / validate the package.json :

node package.json

and you have your json validated or the error line.

Why use jsonlint, sounds pretty lame.

Solution 4

In addition to @Hans Engel's answer use npm help json to get the specification of what should be in the package.json file

View more solutions

Comments

[Erik]

The other common difference is the trailing common in any of the dictionaries or arrays. The JSON must not have a trailing comma.

[Antfish]

This threw me too as I had to wrap a boolean in quote marks. It was passing on jsonlint.com without the quotes.

[Barun]

And I higly recommend my way of validating json objects @afshin Mehrabani